Don't Whisper About Him
by Artistic Ane-san
Summary: Everyone is relieved when Natsu and Erza are released by the Magic Council, but Laxus seems intent on ruining Jeanne's night. And the next morning, she makes a terrible discovery. Rated T for mild language, contains spoilers for Erza vs. Natsu and The Cursed Island, lousy summary is lousy.


_The following text is a fanfiction. I do not own any of the characters mentioned except Jeanne, and her family. Flames, comments, and critiques are accepted, and Gray will come cool me down if you throw one of those my way. This story is basically the end of "Erza vs. Natsu" and the beginning of "The Cursed Island." Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima._

* * *

"Freedom! Outside air is the greatest!" Natsu was yelling and running around happily.

"I can't believe it was just a symbolic arrest. I was worried for nothing!" Lucy sighed.

I totally sympathized with her. Yesterday morning, I had woken up late and ran to the guild to watch Erza and Natsu fight. I had arrived to glum faces, and Lucy explained that Erza had been arrested. For the rest of the day, we were all worried sick, and even more so when we learned Macao was impersonating Natsu. But then they came home the next day, and we were all relieved.

"Erza! Let's fight!"

"Don't be silly, I'm tired," was the calm reply. But that didn't stop Natsu from charging with fists flaming. "Yeesh," Erza muttered, and with one punch to the gut, Natsu was out.

Many of us, myself included, laughed at how quickly he was defeated. Suddenly, my eyelids started drooping. Aw, crap. Mystogan had returned. He always put everyone under a sleeping spell before entering the guild, so that no one could see his face. As far as I knew, only Master had seen it. I didn't even see it see it through his past, which I saw before I'd joined. Now _that_ was a messed up place.

As suddenly as it arrived, the sleepiness disappeared. Everyone was up and grumbling. Gray was explaining to Lucy who Mystogan was: a candidate for Fairy Tail's strongest who always hid his face.

"So, no one but the Master knows what his face looks like," he was saying.

"Nope, I do," a voice called out from above. Everyone's heads snapped up to the second floor. Laxus was leaning on the railing, sneering down at all of us. "Mystogan is shy. Don't get too nosy."

I would swear, he looked right at me as he said that. I shifted uncomfortably, knowing that my body language was practically screaming, 'too late!' Fortunately, he was distracted when Natsu woke up (finally) and yelled, "Laxus! Fight me!"

I used this moment to mutter, "Conceal Magic: Dissolve." And I silently disappeared from sight.

"...don't stand a chance against me if you can't even beat mere Erza," Laxus was saying.

"What does that mean?" Erza called out dangerously.

"I mean that I'm the strongest!"

"Come down here, you jerk!" Natsu demanded.

"You come up here," Laxus taunted.

"Fine by me!" the dragon slayer yelled, leaping over the bar to reach the stairs.

"Baka," I whispered, and was not surprised when Master brought down a giant fist upon him.

"You're not allowed on the second floor. Not yet," he said simply.

"You got in trouble," Laxus laughed.

"Yeesh, what are you, a kid?" I muttered. I stiffened as he seemed to glance my way. _'There's no way he can hear me from there! I believe a little over five feet, but at this distance?!'_

I relaxed though, as he continued, "I won't let anyone else take the title of Fairy Tail's strongest! Not Erza, or even Mystogan! _I_ am the strongest!"

I rolled my eyes and stood up. "Yes, yes, we all know that, no need to brag," I said to myself as I walked out the guild.

Yeesh, Laxus was just full of himself today. It's like he thinks he has to prove he's better than the rest of us every time he opens his mouth.

I hadn't spoken with him since that day he found out about my Montage View, but I wasn't complaining. I preferred to keep away from conflict anyway.

WWW

The next day, I entered the guild early. I thought it was about time to get another job, and I didn't want to have to wait in line as people chose.

"Master!" Mira cried as she ran downstairs. "A flyer is missing from the second floor's request board!"

Master sat there calmly, took a sip from his drink, and promptly sprayed it out.

Everyone started talking.

"Second floor means S-class!"

"Who'd be stupid enough to steal that?"

"A cat." We all looked up at Laxus on the second floor. "I saw a cat with wings take off with it."

"Happy?" Mira gasped.

_'What? Natsu actually dared to take a S-class quest? What the hell is he thinking? He's gonna get expelled for sure! Wait... He wouldn't take Lucy with him, would he? Surely she was smarter than that!'_

"...their skill level," Laxus was saying, "I doubt they'll come back alive from a S-class job."

_'Oh, my gosh, Laxus! Could you at least pretend you're worried for them?'_

"Laxus!" Mira yelled, stomping up to him. "Why didn't you stop them if you knew?"

"All I saw was a cat sneak off with a piece of paper in his mouth," came the reply. "I never imagined it was Happy, or that Natsu would go on an S-class job."

I frowned. He saw a cat with wings sneak away, and didn't assume it was Happy, or that Natsu was up to something? How many cats with wings did he expect lived in the area?!

"What job was taken?" Master asked.

"The Cursed Island, Galuna," Mira replied, giving Laxus a really scary look.

"WHAT?"

Everyone in the guild freaked. _'They went to Galuna?! They must want to die! The hell are they thinking?!'_

"Laxus!" Master called. "Go bring them back!"

"Don't be silly. I have my own work to attend to."

_'Like what? What can be more important that assuring the safety of your nakama?'_

"Members of this guild are supposed to be able to take care of themselves."

Okay, that time, he _definitely_ looked at me. I held his gaze with a withering look of my own.

"Jerk," I muttered.

Laxus scowled.

...Oh.

_Crap._

He _can_ hear me! Holy cuss, and I said so many things last night! He heard them all!

So I did what I do best. I ran. I ran out of the guild and to the park, finally stopping under my favorite tree.

_What was I going to do?!_


End file.
